POCKET GUIDE TO GENOA quick guide to discover …

1 POCKET GUIDE TO GENOA quick GUIDE to discover the city enTranslation: English Language Consultancy Justin Michael RosenbergPhotographs:Sagep Photographic Archives Edited by the Municipality of GENOA ,Tourism Development and Promotion edition was publishedin December 2011 by Grafiche G7for Sagep Editori - GENOA 2012 Sagep Editori, GenoaISBN 978-88-6373-163-7 Via Garibaldi, the power andwealth of the Siglo des losGenoveses (the Century of t heGenoese)This is one of the finestRenaissance streets in theworld. Its palazzi. known as the Rolli , were splendid patricianhomes which the owners wererequired to make available forroyalty and dignitaries visitingthe Republic of GENOA . Castelletto , a window overthe old townFrom the renowned spianata diCastelletto , which is accessibleby lift from Piazza Portello, youhave spectacular views of t hecentro storicoextending all theway to the del Campo, the singer-songwriters and the uniqueatmosphere of the alleywaysin the centro storico Via del Campo is the title of oneof the moving ballads written andsung by Fabrizio De Andr.

2 Access to the street is from theancient Porta dei Vacca gate, thenhave a look at the shop windowsin Via San Luca until you reachPiazza Banchi and Caricamento. Passeggiata al Porto Antico ,waterfront promenadeAs you stroll along the old docksand wharfs, the lighthouse andbig cruise ships loom into ride on the Bigo panoramiclift gives you a new perspectiveon the city and the FLEETING VISIT TO GENOAFour 100% Genoese settings, if you only have a couple of hours to spare2-3hoursPOCKET GUIDE TO GENOA [ quick GUIDE to discover the city]2 NOT TO BE MISSED4 GENOA , A SPECIAL CITY6[24 HOURS] PALAZZO SAN GIORGIO, VIA GARIBALDI, DARSENA10[48 HOURS] VILLA DEL PRINCIPE, CENTRO STORICO, CASTELLETTO14[3 DAYS] PORTO ANTICO, CORSO ITALIA AND BOCCADASSE18[7 DAYS] TOWN CENTRE, WEST COAST, EAST COAST AND THE HILLS24 MUSEUMS AND THE PALAZZI DEI ROLLIOPERA, THEATRE AND CINEMAFOOD & WINESHOPPINGGENOA BY NIGHTCHILDREN AND TEENAGERS32 POCKET GUIDE TO GENOA10974863152 Not to be missed - outskirtsBorgo di BoccadassePark and museums in NerviPromenade A.

3 Garibaldi in NerviVilla Pallavicini in PegliStaglieno Monumental Cemetery Pegli Nervi and Boccadassewalking routesliftsboat tripsby night24hours48hours3 Days7 DaysNot to be missed1 Palazzo Ducale2 Columbus s house and Porta Soprana3 Cattedrale di San Lorenzo4 Porto Antico and the Aquarium5 Museo d Arte Orientale E. Chiossone 6 Via Garibaldi and Strada Nuova Museums 7 Galata Museo del Mare8 Palazzo Reale9 Villa del Principe10 LanternaGenoa has always been the masterof its own with the ancient Romansagainst Carthage, GENOA wassacked and burnt by Hannibal sbrother, tragedy has left its mark oncollective Genoese consciousnessand is reflected in the local dialect: avere il magone (u magun) meansto fall into a state of city began its great era ofexpansion in the year 1000 andbecame a powerful maritimerepublic whose commercialinfluence and military dominionextended over much of theMediterranean, with settlements asfar away as the Black Sea. Under Andrea Doria, who becamePriore Perpetuo in 1528, theRepublic of GENOA reached theheight of its power: this was thebeginning of the Century of theGenoese rich traders,extraordinary navigators andmerchant bankers who financed themighty Spanish e mpire ruled byCharles V.

4 A stroll down ViaGaribaldi will remind you very muchof this past also played a vital role in theRisorgimento with Mazzini, Mameliand many others. Garibaldi s Mille,the 1000-strong expedition to annexSicily,left from a rock in the suburb the 20thcentury GENOA developedinto a large modern port andbecame a major industrial city forNorthern Italy. Today, it is a centre oftechnological innovation and highadded value service industries aswell as a place attracting ever-increasing numbers of was European Capital ofCulture in 2004 and in 2006 itssystem of Palazzi dei Rolli e delleStrade Nuove was declared part ofthe UNESCO World Heritage , A SPECIAL CITYG enoa is a city of contrasts,sometimes of extremes. A city of surprises. For example, it isa city of art yet it is also an has Italy s largest port but nearbythere are crowded beaches in CorsoItalia; glass skyscrapers standalongside medieval towers, modernoffices are located in former palacesthat are still largely is a vertical city on account ofthe height of the buildings and thelack of space in the warren of tinyalleyways (caruggi) and narrowcobbled paths (creuze) leadinguphill and away from the is a city of contrasts also in termsof the light: dazzling when lookingout to sea from Castelletto or Righi,dark and slightly threatening in thecore of the old is a city of contrasts in terms of thecolours: the pastel shades of thefacades side by side with grey andblack is a city that has always been acrossroads of cultures and is also an impervious andsolitary city.

5 A place that takes timeto appreciate but then grows onyou and rewards you with onethrilling discovery after s history dates back 26centuries and legend has it that itwas founded by Janus, the two-faced deity that presided overgates and doorways. Indeed, GENOA has always been a gateway to civilisation, linkingEast and West, the Mediterraneanand GUIDE TO GENOAGENOA, A SPECIAL CITY left:view of the cityfrom SpianataCastelletto,shops inSottoripa,SS. Annunziatachurch frescoincluding eateries selling fried foodand s not far from here to the start of [2] Via San Lorenzo, which links thePorto Antico area to Piazza DeFerrari, the main square of the up the street lies the majesticcathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic artbuilt on a pre-existing Romanesquestructure with black and white stonestripes. Inside is the treasure of SanLorenzo and the Sacro Catino , saidby some to be the Holy San Lorenzo leads to PiazzaMatteotti, where the landmark is theimposing neoclassical fa ade of[3] Palazzo Ducale, the historicheadquarters of the doges and nowthe city s dynamic cultural , the Church of Ges in PiazzaMatteotti contains paintings byRubens and Guido De Ferrari with its largefountain is the symbolic heart of thecity.

6 If you look around the squareIf you are just spending theone day in GENOA we suggestthe following walking routethrough the city centre,including in the mainattractions of Genoese art,history and route starts at[1] Palazzo SanGiorgionext to the sea and the PortoAntico. The Palazzo, which is now thepremises of the Port Authority, wasoriginally the headquarters of theCasa di San Giorgio, a syndicate setup to finance the Republic. Itcomprises the 13thcentury medievalstructure and a Renaissance part witha splendid frescoed fa ade facing thesea. The figure of St George slayingthe dragon stands out in the from the medieval palazzo toSottoripa, the old porticoed streetwith picturesque shops of all kinds,12345678910 PALAZZO SAN GIORGIO, VIA GARIBALDI, DARSENASan GiorgioSanLorenzoPalazzoDucaleSanMatteoC asanaXXV AprileFontane MaroseVia GaribaldiCairoliDarsena6 POCKET GUIDE TO GENOA left:view of the oldtown,Piazza DeFerrari,San LorenzoCathedralbelow:Palazzo DucaleWorth a visitPALAZZO DUCALE This is the cultural, historical andmonumental heart of the city.

7 Built at thebehest of the government of the Republic atthe end of the 16thcentury, it has a medievalpart as you look at the facade from PiazzaMatteotti the Grimaldina stone and brickstower is readily apparent on the left and a central section with the two broadcolonnades that were added around the turnof the 16thcentury. In the 18thcentury thepalazzo was rebuilt following a fire. The mostnoteworthy interiors from the artistic point of view are the chapel and the assembly halls for the Greater and Lesser Councils,which are richly decorated and IN 24 HOURSW orth a visitVIA GARIBALDIOnce called Strada Nuova and Via Aurea(Golden Street) on account of its splendidshowpiece palazzi, this street is one of themost impressive examples of 16thcenturyEuropean urban residential planning. In 1622 Rubens surveyed the buildingsand published drawings of them so thatthey would serve as an architecturalmodel for the well-to-do of GENOA s economic andfinancial power in the 16thand 17thcenturies, today these splendid buildings,declared a World Heritage Site byUNESCO in 2006, are used as museums,galleries, offices and private available for royalty anddignitaries visiting the Republic.

8 The Rolli were declared a UNESCOW orld Heritage Site in palaces on Via Garabaldi Palazzo Tursi, Palazzo Rosso andPalazzo Bianco have been turnedinto art Musei di Strada Nuova as theyare known form the one setexhibition route and constitute anextraordinary artistic heritage; theyare well worth a visit. Fro m the topof Palazzo Rosso there is a fine viewof the roofs of the old Via Garibaldi, have a look atthe pretty Piazza della Meridianaand head to[9] Via visiting in Piazza dellaNunziata is Santissima Annunziatadel Vastato referred byMontesquieu as the most beautifulchurch in GENOA . Now you can goback towards the sea and follow ViaFontane down to the [10] IN 24 HOURSyou ll see the former premises ofCompagnia di Navigazione Italia,now the seat of the Ligurian RegionalAdministration, and the Palazzo dellaBorsa (the former stock exchange),now used as a venue for culturalevents. Other landmarks here are thetop of GENOA s main street Via XXSettembre, the Carlo Felice OperaHouse and the grand painted fa adeof Palazzo Ducale.

9 From here anumber of GENOA s famous caruggilead down to the old town with itschurches, houses and delightful littlesquares like [4] Piazza San De Ferrari go down Vico SanMatteo till you come to the piazzettaof the same name where the Gothicchurch stands out with its black andwhite marble bands; the adjoiningpalazzi were owned by the Doriafamily. Go back up to the mainsquare via[5] Vico Casana, andyou ll find yourself in front of theCarlo Felice Opera House. Thisbuilding opened in 1828, the firstopera performed being Bianca eFernando , composed by Bellinispecially for the occasion. Thetheatre was badly damaged bybombing during World War II andsubsequently rebuilt. The auditoriumseats up to two thousand , go down the elegant [6] Via XXV Aprileuntil you reach [7] Piazza delle Fontane b uildings facing the squareinclude Palazzo Spinola dei marmi with its black and white stripes,Palazzo Ayrolo Negrone with itsimposing 17thcentury fa adeandPalazzo Interiano Pallavicini with itsdelicate fresco you cross the Piazza you come to [8] Via Garibaldi, called StradaNuova in the 16thcentury, a veritabletreasure trove with a string of superbpalazzi known as the Rolli ,splendid p rivate residences that theGenoese nobles were required to8 POCKET GUIDE TO GENOA left:Palazzo Spinoladei Marmi,Church of SanMatteo,Palazzo Tursibelow:Palazzo TobiaPallavicino,Golden GalleryWorth a visitPORTA DEI VACCAThe gate that dominates the entrance toVia del Campo from the west was built in1155 to meet the threat of invasion bythe Emperor Barbarossa; the latterdemanded loyalty and tribute from allItalian cities.

10 GENOA more or less agreedto give the loyalty, but not the city mobilised against the Emperorand in just eight days succeeded inerecting the walls that ended at Portadei Vacca. Where the local citizens wereunable to make the fortifications highenough in such a short space of time,temporary use was made of masts andforecastles from the sea and centre around thefountain of your way to Piazza Principe trainstation you can admire themonument to ChristopherColumbus. A detour upwards usingthe Montegalletto lift will take you tothe[3] Castello D Albertis, a neo-Gothic construction built around1890 by the sea captain EnricoAlberto D Albertis. Today theCastello houses the Museo delleCulture del Mondo. The adjoininggardens afford a fine view of the you go back down into town,you come out at the beginning of[4] Via Balbi, a 17thcentury streetwhere much of the University visiting is Palazzo Reale, theofficial residence of the Savoys inGenoa from 1824 with its richfurnishings and gardens that openonto the is Piazza dei Truogoli di SantaIf you have already spent aday in GENOA (see 24 hours),we recommend thisadditional walking route thatcombines the maze ofalleyways in the centrostoricowith breathtakingviews thanks to the lifts thatwill take you up above theport and the old route begins at the[1] StazioneMarittima, the passenger terminalwhere the big ships have always leftfrom.